Only the Air Force could over do common sense to the point it may well get someone killed. The Air Force has long ordered personnel serving in high traffic areas and on flight lines to wear reflective belts in order to increase their visibility and reduce accident related injuries. Ok, I might buy that one. But somewhere along the way, the intent of this altruistic order got twisted and the directive was extended to those serving in combat zones. Combat zones you say? Unfortunately, yes.
I wonder how long it will be until someone in the AF clothing office gets a load of Royal Australian Navy’s DPCU with integrated reflective stripes. It would kill two birds with one stone. The Air Force would have a uniform with inappropriate camo AND integrated reflective stripes. (Yeah, that’s a cheap shot. The clothing office is doing a pretty good job considering the institutional momentum they pitted against.)
Sure, this insanity has been going on for some time but finally, some are just plain fed up. It has gotten so out of hand that there is now a Facebook page dedicated to the cause. Decisions like this could get a guy killed.
I have a news flash for the Air Force. We are at war. There are bad people who want to kill our Airmen. Why would you do anything to make it easier? My answer to this whole conundrum? Find the Brainiac responsible and have him go for a walk outside the wire. That ought to sort this nonsense out.
Hey Congress, maybe this is something worth looking into. If the Army is going to face scrutiny over how effective its camo pattern is, maybe someone ought to take the Air Force to task for plain old bad judgment. Some of the comments make my skin crawl. One Airman on Facebook commented, “There are confirmed snipers around the perimeter of the flight line…here, put on your reflective belt so you don’t get run over by a fire truck!â€
